Published: 6/14/2020 2:00:11 PM

In the last few weeks, my eyes have been opened to racisms daily physical and emotional assaults on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

I have gained a deeper awareness of how white privilege has blinded me to the depth of oppression against BIPOC by our political and economic institutions. Though it may appear that all Americans are governed by the same Constitution, its laws and protections are applied in radically unequal ways depending on skin color.

Indications of well-being suggest that racism has infected black people with higher levels of poverty, lower life expectancy and infant mortality rates, greater susceptibility to diseases such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes and COVID-19.

A system of unequal education convinced my daughter she was capable, while the school-to-prison pipeline has killed the hopes and dreams of many BIPOC children.

The deeds and actions of our institutions have indoctrinated us with the myth of black inferiority in order to retain an economic and political system based on white supremacy. Apartheid is defined as, a policy of segregating and economically and politically oppressing the nonwhite population. I maintain that the consequences of systemic racism, including housing and employment discrimination, discriminatory lending practices, education funded by property taxes, racial profiling, and mass incarceration have created a system of apartheid in this country.

The recent calls to protest across the country and around the world by BIPOC beckoned white people out of COVID isolation and onto the streets to demonstrate solidarity and re-envision an end to the militaristic policing of BIPOC. We have been outraged witnessing protestors of every color being brutalized by police for exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. This, we have learned, is everyday life for BIPOC. How do we look the other way after bearing witness to the magnitude of such injustice?

Author Ta Nehisi Coates, in a recent interview, said the unprecedented numbers of white people who have joined the protests have given him hope. I am hopeful too, but also worried. How long will we keep showing up?

This is a movement to change the culture of America. Its going to be an uphill battle. There will be backlash. Media interest will fade. This country rose to power by whites stealing land and getting rich on the backs of BIPOC. While we build a movement to defund police, the white nationalist movement has been gaining valuable ground that was lost during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. They have convinced a large swath of white America that changing demographics are a threat to their power.

Their tactics include voter suppression, advocating for restrictions on immigration, mass incarceration, and weakening the federal government, while strengthening states rights. The Trump administration is filling our courts with judges who uphold discriminatory laws and practices. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has built a firewall against progressive legislation, while the fascist-in-chief encourages police brutality.

Will our work end when weve shed our tears, marched, rallied, and convinced ourselves that showing up to empathize with the grief and rage of our black brothers and sisters was enough? We may call ourselves allies, but all white people have benefited from the oppression of BIPOC, whether by living on stolen land or being able to enter a store without fear of being followed by a security guard.

Its time for white allies to commit to this movement and resist the temptation to abandon the fight for racial justice when the next big issue demands our attention. Carve out a role for yourself. Start locally.

How can we move our own communities in an anti-racist direction? What are our children learning about the history of BIPOC? Do our neighborhood schools have teachers who are BIPOC? What has your faith-based community done to stand against racism? Why are there so few black people living in Hampshire County? How can we help to create opportunities for establishing black-owned businesses in this area? What is your local police department doing to ensure that Black Lives Matter?

Learn about the platforms of the organizations leading the movement, like Movement for Black Lives, Color of Change, or the Equal Justice Initiative? How do we guarantee every persons right to vote and have their vote counted on Nov. 3? Do we respond as allies when friends or family minimize police brutality or shift the focus to vandalism and looting?

In record time, this movement has won promises from cities and towns to reform their police departments. How are we going to be sure that pledges to end choke holds and hold police accountable dont evaporate, along with our outrage? This is an important opportunity for us to join together to crush systemic racism and build a nation rooted in equality. We must guard against betraying the trust of those who have welcomed our participation.

As Bishop William J. Barber said, It is time now, in memory of all those who died ... those whose breaths were taken not by God, but by us ... Work for justice. Work for love. Work for mercy.

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Columnist Sara Weinberger: A movement to change the culture of America - GazetteNET